That clinking sound in one Salvation Army donation bucket wasn't from spare change, after all. A volunteer got an extra-special donation last week that's making headlines.

That clinking sound in one Salvation Army donation bucket wasn't from spare change, after all. A volunteer got an extra-special donation last week that's making headlines.

Although the organization has received peculiar donations in the past, this one was simply stunning—and incredibly valuable. A woman, who has chosen to remain anonymous, dropped her wedding band and engagement ring into the red kettle inside a Boston train station. The jewelry also came with a jeweler's affidavit and a typed note from the generous donor.

In it she wrote, "I've dropped my wedding ring in your Red Kettle knowing that the money from its sale will buy toys for needy children…In all seasons, my husband was a giver. I especially remember his joy in giving at Christmastime, especially to those in need. To honor his memory, I donate this ring."

The diamond engagement ring was valued at $1,850, but may actually be worth more since the appraisal was from 2003. The wedding band's value wasn't included in the appraisal, but even without it, Lieutenant Michael Harper, commander of the Cambridge Salvation Army, says the widow's donation is the largest one he's come across. "We were really taken aback. One, by such generosity of something that was a deeply sacrificial gift, and something that was probably priceless to her," said Harper.

The woman's note also included a plea to inspire generosity in others. She hoped "someone out there who made lots of money this year" could purchase the ring for 10 times its value to help give even more needy children a merry, gift-filled holiday.

UPDATE: An anonymous buyer has offered $21,000 for the stunning wedding ring, which originally had a value just short of $2,000. The anonymous widow's hope of the ring being purchased for more than its worth came true, and the buyer--who is also a widow--even has plans of returning the ring to the original owner.

The buyer told Salvation Army officials, "I want to be involved in this because it's about the spirit of Christmas, the spirit of giving." The money donated from the rings will be donated to the Salvation Army Cambridge Corps Community Center, where it will be used to give deserving children toys during Christmastime, just like the original donor had wanted.